Unconventional
by Ravin' Raven
Summary: There's a new face at Mrs. Lovett's pie shop that has it's gaze set directly on winning Mrs. Lovett's heart, but Mr. Sweeney Todd stands directly in the way.
1. Chapter 1

Mrs. Lovett was going about her usual business of closing the shop, cleaning the last of the tables while Toby swept the floor. She was just about to tell Toby to call it a night when a sharp rap was heard on the front door.

"Oh, now 'oo could that be at this 'our?" She pulled back a curtain near the door and peered out into the darkness. A young woman was standing on the stoop, looking over her shoulder anxiously, like she felt afraid of being seen. Mrs. Lovett opened the door a crack and spoke around the corner of the door.

"Can I 'elp you, miss?" The young woman nodded quickly and burst into frenzied pleading.

"My name is Lily and I need a place to stay, please! I've seen you in your shop and you seemed so kind and I was hoping you could let me stay with you and I wouldn't do it for free, I'd work really hard in the shop if you wanted, please!" Mrs. Lovett felt her heart soften at the sight of the tired young woman and let her into the shop. As the lady crossed the threshold she sighed and removed her cloak from her shoulders. "Thank you Mrs. Lovett. Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Mrs. Lovett laughed.

"You'll 'ave to earn your keep. No mouth in this establishment gets fed without workin' for it first!" Lily nodded solemnly. "That's a love. I'll take you to get some'in fresh to wear. You look like you've through the mill once or twice." Mrs. Lovett turned and motioned for Lily to follow, while giving her the quick once over. She was about the same height as Mrs. Lovett, with pin-straight black hair and electric green eyes that jumped out of her olive-tone skin. She was slim, but she had shapely curves and long legs that came together in a very comely figure. "You're a pretty one, ain'cha? Bound to make me clothes like rags, but they'll 'ave to do until we can get your dress cleaned up." Lily looked bashfully down at the ground.

"Thank you, Mrs. Lovett." When they reached the room, Mrs. Lovett bustled over to her wardrobe and shuffled around in it until she pulled out a slightly worn, but still presentable dress.

"Here you are. Not the newest thing, but it'll do." As she handed the dress to Lily, heavy footsteps were suddenly heard from above them, pacing back and forth across the floor. Lily turned to Mrs. Lovett.

"What's that?" Mrs. Lovett laughed lightly.

"No need to be frightened love, that's just Mr. Todd. 'E's a barber that works upstairs, probably in one of his sulks again." Lily felt a sudden stab of jealousy at the tender smile that graced Mrs. Lovett's face as she gazed up at the ceiling. The soft grin faded when she her eyes met Lily's again and she saw the fire flashing in them, like a lightning storm inside of her soul. Her smile faltered as she went to leave the room. "Well, I'll just let you dress, then." She closed the door gently behind her and Lily felt her anger melt away as she lifted the dress to her face and inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of soap, flour, and daisies, the scent of Mrs. Lovett.

"Nellie…" she sighed as she replaced her dress with the borrowed one. She composed herself as she exited the room, entering the parlor to find Toby sitting on the sofa, drinking gin straight from the bottle. She chuckled as she down on a stool next to the chair she assumed to Mrs. Lovett's.

"Where's Mrs. Lovett?" Toby wiped his mouth on his sleeve before answering.

"She's gettin' Mr. Todd 'is dinner, miss." Lily felt the anger again.

"Why?" Toby shrugged.

"I'm not sure. She's likes 'im I suppose. 'E doesn't seem too nice though." Lily felt the jealousy bubbling. "She ought to be back in a moment. He never lets 'er stay long." Lily nodded, pushing back the bile rising in her throat. True to Toby's prediction, Mrs. Lovett re-entered the room at that moment, and Lily felt her anger drop off like it have never been there. As she collapsed into her chair and propped up her feet, Lily took the opportunity to appraise her legs as her skirt slid up, but quickly pulled her eyes away. Once Mrs. Lovett was relaxed, she turned her head to Lily.

"So, what's your story, love? How comes you's runnin' around by yourself at this 'our?" Lily swallowed the lump in her throat, hesitated, then plowed forward.

"My father chased me out of the house. I had no where to go. I had been by your pie shop a few times and you seemed so kind and understanding, I thought I could come here." Mrs. Lovett's brow furrowed with concern.

"Now why would your father throw out a pretty thing like you?" Lily glanced over at Toby, but he was fast asleep, curled up with a half-empty gin bottle.

"He's ashamed of me. He hasn't been able to marry me to anyone respectable, and now that I'm almost twenty five, he threw me out so he wouldn't have a useless mouth to feed. I was always a barter chip for him, and once I lost me value, he got rid me." Her eyes filled with tears of anger. She was soothed when she felt Mrs. Lovett's hand stroking her hair.

"Now, now, love. It was 'is mistake. Men is just morons is all. You can stay 'ere as long as you need. I'm sure we'll find you a nice man in the shop one day." Lily stared Mrs. Lovett straight in the eye, the truth choking her as it lodged in her throat. She looked away as the hand was removed from her hair, and thought silently in her head:

I don't want any man...I want you...

Meanwhile, Mrs. Lovett was reclining in her chair, unknowing, and wondering:

What the blazes am I goin' to tell Mr. T?

AN: A quick first chapter I drew up. I had to go and make a lesbian Sweeney Todd fic, simply because I want so badly to jump Helena's bones. Haha. Anyway, I'm expecting flames so do your worst, and constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. If you find any gross errors, let me know.


	2. Chapter 2

Lily hadn't told the complete truth when she said that she had only be been the shop a few times. She had passed by at every chance, taking the long way for every errand, finding any excuse to pass nearby. And she would watch. She would watch Mrs. Lovett through the window from across the street. She was always smiling as she worked, rushing around to help her customers, a genuine smile of joy spread across her face. She always glowed while she worked. She was a social butterfly in her right. She loved being surrounded by people, taking care of them while she chattered uninhibited. It was then that her smile was the brightest. Lily would sigh. She would make an amazing mother.

Then the day came that her father found out what made her be so incredibly rude to each and every suitor that had ever knocked on her door. She had plenty of suitors, and when she had not chosen by the time she was twenty, he began to watch, to see where her gaze would fall, to try and find out what type of lad she _would_ marry. Her gaze never seemed to hover in any one place that he could discern, so he left it a mystery and allowed her to try and figure herself out.

The day he found out why he eyes never settled on any man for more than an instant. He had hoped his eyes were fooling him, for he had heard of this disease, this _perversion_ and he knew that if anyone found out that his daughter was afflicted, that he would become the laughingstock of the community. She he redoubled his efforts at finding her a husband. Then one day he found her in the pantry, kissing the kitchen girl on the lips. He threw her out that day. He wouldn't let this unnaturalness into his home. She could rot in the street for all he cared. He had no daughter.

So Lily ran to the only place she had ever felt safe. To Mrs. Nellie Lovett's pie shop. Mrs. Lovett was just as kind as Lily knew she would be. She clothed her and gave her a place to stay. And now she was drifting to sleep on the loveseat as Mrs. Lovett turned out the lamps, drinking in the scent of her love as her eyes began to flutter shut.

When Mrs. Lovett had darkened the room, she turned and saw Lily asleep on the small sofa, her face illuminated by moonlight streaming in through the thin curtains over the window. She smiled at the sight of Lily's shoes haphazardly thrown on the floor, her stocking feet tucked under the borrowed skirt. She leaned down and shook the woman's shoulder in an attempt to wake her.

"Come up love, can't have you taking up Toby's spot. You'll be all achy in the mornin'. Can't 'ave that, can we?" She asked with a smile as Lily's eyes opened groggily.

" Wha'?" Mrs. Lovett pulled gently on her arm, lifting Lily gently out of the chair and leaving her shoes for the morning.

"You're going to be sleeping in an actual bed tonight, love. You'd fall right off that little thing and conk your noggin and then where we be?" Lily rubbed eyes her eyes as Mrs. Lovett shoved her into a dimly lit bedroom.

"Where are you going to sleep?" Lily asked Mrs. Lovett.

"In the bed of course. If you were a man I'd've left you out there, but we're both ladies 'ere, so where's the 'arm?" Lily flushed before sitting on the edge of the bed as Mrs. Lovett began to pull pins out of her hair.

"Blasted things always get stuck," Mrs. Lovett muttered as she tugged a particularly stubborn pin. Lily bit back a laugh and patted the bed next to her.

"Let me help you." Mrs. Lovett sigh and flopped heavily onto the bed as Lily moved to sit behind her.

"Thank you, love, sometimes this nest can be quite a pain," Mrs. Lovett laughed.

"I love your hair," Lily said softly as she began pulling pins gently from Mrs. Lovett's hair, watching as the auburn curls settled gently against pale skin. Oh, how she wanted to taste that skin. She resisted the urge and placed the loose pin into Mrs. Lovett's open palm, letting her fingers softly caress Mrs. Lovett's forearm as it returned to her hair. She pulled every pin out of the beautiful hair, stealing a quick stroke or caress of Mrs. Lovett's neck or shoulders with each pin. When she had removed the last of the pins, she leaned forward, her lips gently brushing Mrs. Lovett's ear and her breasts pressed into her back as she asked,

"Do you have a hairbrush, Mrs. Lovett?" Mrs. Lovett nodded mutely, handing back a brush. Lily took it, running it carefully through the luscious curl. Mrs. Lovett melted under the gentle administrations, imagining that it was Mr. Todd working through her hair with so much care and dexterity.

"Oh, Mr. Todd…"the sigh slipped past her lips and she felt Lily tense behind her. She tossed the hairbrush down next to Mrs. Lovett before escaping to the far side of the bed, curling up tightly with her back to Mrs. Lovett. The elder woman placed the brush and pins on the bedside table before quickly stripping down to her shift and crawling under the covers, disturbed by Lily's sudden shift in attitude.

Lily fumed for a moment, then relaxed as she felt Mrs. Lovett lie down not more than two feet from her. She waited until she heard Mrs. Lovett's breathing settle into the deep rhythm of sleep, the rolled over. In the moonlight the circles under Mrs. Lovett's eyes weren't as stark, and it reflected beautifully off her hair. Lily leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to Mrs. Lovett's cheek.

"Goodnight, Nellie."

Mrs. Lovett was awoken suddenly by a violent movement beside her. She could see Lily's form in the moonlight, thrashing and twisting as she whimpered. Mrs. Lovett reached over and shook her shoulder.

"Wake up love, it's just a nightmare. Wake up!" Lily's eyes shot wide open, the whites visible all the way around as she tried to catch her breath. She reached out and clutched Mrs. Lovett to her, arms snaking around her slim waist.

"Don't let him get me, please! Don't!" Mrs. Lovett stroked Lily's hair gently, wrapping an arm around her shoulder in a tight embrace.

"I've got you, love, it was just a nightmare, you're safe." Lily continued to whimper, and Mrs. Lovett sang softly to soothe her. "By the sea it'll be so quiet, who'll come by it, except a seagull.." She continued to hum until Lily ceased shaking. Lily snuggled closer to Mrs. Lovett, burying her face in Mrs. Lovett's neck, with auburn hair tickling her cheek.

"I'll take you to the sea, Mrs. Lovett," Lily murmured drowsily. "Someday."

Mrs. Lovett smiled. "I'm sure you will love, I'm sure you will." And they drifted off, with Mrs. Lovett protecting Lily from her night time tormentors.


	3. Chapter 3

Unconventional

AN: Sorry it took so long, but this story is getting pieced together from bits and bobbles scribbled into a notebook when inspiration hits me. It doesn't really lend itself to consistency, does it? Well, R&R loves.

When Lily woke up the next morning, the sheets next to her were empty and cold. Sunlight was streaming through the desperately thin curtains, causing the air the glisten like gold. Lily reached over and pulled Mrs. Lovett's pillow to her body, trying to drain it of the last of Mrs. Lovett's presence. After a moment, she released the pitiful puff of goose down and threw the sheets of of her. She hadn't changed before falling asleep, and she was still wearing the same dress as the day before. Lily attempted to straighten the corset and skirt, but didn't even attempt to help the wrinkles. She left the room and found her shoes in the parlor.

Once she had her shoes on, she ventured into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes as the bright light shining through the windows caused spots to dance over her vision. Mrs. Lovett was bustling around the kitchen, rushing to prepare pies for customers who had come in for breakfast.

"Morning, Mrs. Lovett." Mrs. Lovett dropped her rolling pin in fright and whipped around.

"Don' scare me like tha'! You're goin' to gimme a 'eart attack!" Lily laughed as Mrs. Lovett pushed some stray hair off her face, leaving a streak of flour on her forehead. Mrs. Lovett scowled. "It ain't funny, love." Lily made an effort to straighten her face, but ended up giggling like a madwoman. Mrs. Lovett grab a small handful of flower and threw it at Lily, who only laughed harder as the puff of powder simply exploded in the air and drifted down harmlessly. Mrs. Lovett gave a playful 'hmph' and turned back to her cooking.

"I finished sweepin' the front, m'um. Can I have breakfast now?" Toby ran into the kitchen, the broom clutched in one hand, his cheeks pink from the chill outside. Mrs. Lovett grinned at him, ruffling his hair with her cleaner hand.

"'Course you can love, it's on the table for ya." Toby stowed the broom in the corner and left the kitchen, all without breaking stride. Lily leaned forward to see him practically fall over himself as he dropped into the seat at Mrs. Lovett's small dining table, stowed in the corner of the parlor. She moved to stand next to Mrs. Lovett, who was now kneading a large ball of dough. Lily watched as her hands, which always seemed so delicate and gently, pounded away at the firm dough.

"Are you just gonna watch, or you gonna help me?" Mrs. Lovett hadn't stopped her task, but she was now looking over at Lily, her eyes sparkling. She was always at her happiest when she was baking.

"I don't know how," Lily said, her eyes dropping to the floor. "I never learned to cook. My mother passed away when I was young, and my father felt that cleaning was more important than kitchen duties." Mrs. Lovett grabbed Lily's wrist and pulled her in front of the dough. Well, now's the time to learn, love. I've already got Toby for the cleanin', so you need to 'elp me in the kitchen." Mrs. Lovett pulled off a hunk of dough and dropped it in front of Lily before pulling the rest in front of herself.

"You need to push it 'round a bit, make sure it's good an' soft for the crust 'n such." She looked over at Lily, who seemed rather lost. She sighed. "I guess you needs some proper teachin' then." She stood behind Lily, place her hands on top of Lily's and moving them to the dough. Lily nearly squealed with joy, but managed to bite her lip and restrain herself. She let her arms move with Mrs. Lovett's, forcing the dough flat with the heels on her hands and enjoying the feeling of Mrs. Lovett pressed against her back, auburn hair tickling her neck and cheeks.

"You need to use a bit of force on it love, or it won't do nothin'." Mrs. Lovett continued to lead Lily's movements, her body rocking with the rhythm of kneading. Lily moved her body with Mrs. Lovett's, sighing gently. She turned her head to look at her instructor and found herself face less than an inch from Mrs. Lovett, their breath intermingling, lips almost touching. Lily flushed a bright red and jerked her head back. Mrs. Lovett laughed and pulled away quickly.

"Sorry, love. Like Mr. Todd'll tell ye, I 'ave no sense of personal boundaries. I'll get all in yo' space if you don't say nothin'." She turned suddenly, hurriedly throwing herself into shaping crusts for pies. Lily sighed sadly, turning back to shaping the dough, pounding it with her fists in frustration. A few solid impacts relieved the majority and soon the pair was preparing crusts together, Mrs. Lovett chatting about flowers and birds and the sea while Lily nodded, half listening, half watching Mrs. Lovett's lips move as she shaped words and smiled. She was so fascinated that she didn't pull out of her stupor until she heard "Todd" escape those beautiful lips.

"What?" Hearing that name out of any given context gave Lily a jolt and she clenched a handful of dough so hard that it was squeezed through her fingers. Mrs. Lovett didn't seem to notice and she continued chattering.

"I was just gonna talk Mr. T 'is breakfast. Let 'im now we got you stayin' with us an' whatnot." She wiped her hands on the lower portion of her dress and picked up a tray that Lily hadn't noticed sitting on the end of the countertop. "You keep workin' love, I'll not be a minute." Lily nodded slowly, staring down at the floury mess in her hands as Mrs. Lovett rustled out of the room.

Lily listened closely to the sound of Mrs. Lovett's footsteps, following them as the elder woman went up the stairs, opened the door, and walked across the room. The steps stopped, but Lily could hear the voices echoing through the ceiling, although the words were indistinct. She could here Mrs. Lovett's voice mostly; explaining, Lily assumed. The soft tones were distinctly interrupted by a very clear and echoing shout of "WHAT?!" and the thud of someone being knocked to the ground.

Lily dropped the mess in her hands onto the counter and ran out the door, sprinting up the steps as best she could before pushing the door open so hard that it smacked against the wall. Sweeney Todd had Mrs. Lovett pressed against the far wall, one hand digging into her shoulder, the other holding a gleaming silver razor pressed against Mrs. Lovett's throat. Lily took a quick step forward but was halted by Mr. Todd's suddenly release of Nellie and quick pivot to face Lily, the razor in his hand gleaming ominously.

"What are you doin' up 'ere?" He started to stalk towards her, he shoulders slightly hunched, his teeth bared in what almost looked like a snarl. Lily began to step sideways, hoping to sidle her way towards Nellie, but was halted by Sweeney's sudden steel grip on her upper arm. The man was faster than he looked. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat. His lips curled up in a feral smile.

"Come," he said in a voice that would have been charming if not for the grimace on his face, "sit." He began to pull her towards the worn leather chair in the center of the room. Mrs. Lovett read his intentions and started to her feet.

"No, Mr. T, don't! Please, she ain't done nothin' to no one. I thought she could 'elp me in the shop! Please Mr. T! Don't kill 'er!" Mrs. Lovett's emotions had come to a boil. She would have murdered for Mr. Todd, anything that he asked of her she would do without fail. But not Lily. Not the woman she had befriended after less than two days. Anyone but Lily. Mrs. Lovett sobbed as she pleaded for Lily's life.

Lily fought Mr. Todd's grip, but only succeed in deepening the bruises on her arm. Her eeys danced around the room, looking for any hope of escape. Her was dragging her away from the door, towards that chair, past a desk. Her eyes snapped back to the desk. There was a box sitting open, a box holding several more deadly silver razors. Mr. Todd's grip was on her right arm, and if she could calm her heart enough to reach out with her other hand, she might be able to reach one. She was almost to the chair, and the blade was almost within reach. Suddenly Mrs. Lovett appeared at Mr. Todd's side, grabbing his arm gripping the razor blade.

"Mr. T! Please!" Her pleading was interrupted by a swift blow that sent her flying to the floor.

"Nellie!" Lily began to fight Mr. Todd's grip in earnest, biting at his arm, clawing at his face. He threw her in the direction of the chair, but she regained her balance quickly enough to grab a weapon. She snapped open the blade and held it up. She might not be able to really harm him, but she could hold him off long enough for Nellie to get away. Lily risked a quick glance at the fallen form on the ground. She wasn't moving.


	4. Chapter 4

Unconventional

Mr. Todd was watching Lily intently, his jaw tight and eyes steely. Lily stepped back slowly, feeling gently with each foot before planting it on the ground. She was slowly inching her way back to Nellie, who hadn't yet moved from her prostate position on the floor.

"Nellie," Lily called softly, "wake up, Nellie. Come on love, wake up." Her eyes never left Mr. Todd's face. She fought the urge to turn and drop down next to Nellie with every fiber of her being, but she couldn't stop her eyes from flicking towards Mrs. Lovett. She was breathing steadily, so she couldn't have been injured too badly Lily told herself, as she turned her eyes back to Mr. Todd. He had started to advance on her, the blade glittering in his hand. Lily stepped back quickly until she was standing over Mrs. Lovett, intending to protect her until her last breath. Lily swung the blade in her hand quickly across Mr. Todd's arm, drawing a thin line of blood. Mr. Todd took no heed of it and arched his silver friend up over his head.

"What's this then!" A tall man stood in the doorway to Mr. Todd's shop, his hat in his hand and a dog standing at his side. Mr. Todd quickly lowered his blade and turned so that his injured arm faced away from the man. Lily dropped the blade in her hand to the floor with a clatter and grabbed Mrs. Lovett's arm. The woman sat up with a start and quickly scrambled to her feet, making a great show of dusting off her skirt.

"Must have tripped over summin' on the floor." She said a little too loudly, dragging Lily -who was still holding Mrs. Lovett's arm- out of the shop with her, pushing past the gentleman and the dog in the doorway and leaving them to Mr. Todd's devices. The pair hurried down the stairs and into the shop, were they flopped down onto stools in the kitchen, thankfully for the lull in customers between breakfast and lunch. After she had caught her breath, Lily spoke, her voice trembling,

"Why'd you do that?" Lily rubbed her forearm where Mr. Todd had gripped her. Mrs. Lovett spoke softly, for she was a woman of limited wind, and she had just had almost all of it knocked out of her.

"Do what?" Mrs. Lovett gripped a stitch growing in her side and cursed the damn corset for keeping her from being able to stretch it out.

"Defend me, why'd you get between me and Mr. Todd?" Lily looked directly into Mrs. Lovett's face, her curiosity obvious in her green eyes.

" 'Cause. I couldn't just let 'im getcha. Not after we've gotten to be such good friends. Mr. Todd was just in one of 'is moods is all. He'll be fine later."

The smile that had graced Lily's face after "friends" clouded. "What? He's a cruel, vicious man, Nellie. Why are you letting him stay here?" Mrs. Lovett fidgeted with her fingers in her lap, not meeting Lily's eyes.

"'E's been good to me and Toby, and he's not that bad, once you get to know 'im. 'E's 'ad a 'ard life is all." Mrs. Lovett slid off her stool and moved to enter the kitchen. "Better get ready for the lunch rush then, shall we?" Lily didn't move from her stool but stared at Mrs. Lovett's back.

"Do you love him, Mrs. Lovett?"

"Yes," Mrs. Lovett answered. "He used to live above my shop way back when I was just a slip of a thing. I've loved him for a long time." And with that she entered the kitchen and began her routine of making pies, and Lily had no option but to follow her, albeit with a scowl on her face. They worked side by side, by the tension was palpable and very quickly Lily wished that she hadn't said anything about Mr. Todd.

'Why shouldn't I say anything?' She asked herself as she pounded the dough in frustration. 'He was going to kill her! He was going to kill me!' She continued to sulk through the entire day, through the lunch rush, through the lull, and then through the dinner rush. Mrs. Lovett wasn't unaware of the dark cloud following her help around, but she didn't say anything about it, figuring that the girl would come around.

Later that night, Mrs. Lovett and Toby shared a bottle of gin while Lily sat, not in her usual seat, but on the floor next to Toby's small couch, facing Mrs. Lovett instead of sitting next to her. Toby chattered away, either unaware of the uncomfortable silence or ignoring, and Lily forced herself to make pleasant conversation with the boy. Mrs. Lovett, however, sat in her chair with a book in her lap that she wasn't actually reading, and stared at her lap. When the clock struck eleven she seemed to snap out her own little world and notice the real one for the first time.

"Would you look a' the time! These old bones need some rest, as do your younger ones, if you want to be able to walk tomorrow." She rose up out of her chair, dropping the book onto a table. She stretched her arms up above her head and stifled a yawn. "Come on love, let's get to sleep. Goodnight, Toby dear." Toby was already half-asleep and just nodded in response. Lily lifted herself off the ground and followed Mrs. Lovett into the bedroom.

Mrs. Lovett rummage through her wardrobe for a moment before pulling out a slightly worn nightgown which she tossed towards Lily.

"We can't 'ave you sleeping in your dress again now, can we? We best get you some dresses of your own to wear so people won't be wonderin' wot you're doin' wearing mine." Mrs. Lovett laughed softly. While she and Lily were almost the same height, Mrs. Lovett had her outdone in the womanly curves department and the dresses that the elder woman filled and then some hung oddly on the younger, more slender woman's frame. Mrs. Lovett's kindness was met with silence as Lily undressed. Mrs. Lovett began to shed her layers as well, laying each one out over the back of a chair before she tugged a worn old nightdress over her head and climbed into bed. Lily's sulks were beginning to affect her mood, and she found herself itching for the young woman to talk to her or help her with her hair or even just smile at her.

When Mrs. Lovett glanced over at Lily, she found herself caught up in the captivating green eyes which had staring at directly at her for quite some time. The two stared for a long moment before Mrs. Lovett blushed at looked away, asking,

"What are lookin' at, love?" even though she was sure she already knew the answer. Lily didn't answer, but simply moved to the bed, the own rustling softly as she climbed under the covers next to Mrs. Lovett. She laid on her side, looking at Mrs. Lovett and brought a hand up to brush some hair out of the elder woman's eyes.

"You didn't take down your hair tonight," Lily stated simply, resting her hand on Mrs. Lovett's cheek. Mrs. Lovett fought the shivers that ran down her spine and managed to hold still under the gently touch.

"It doesn't matter. There aren't that many pins in it today, so I'll just take care of it in the mornin'." Lily nodded, running her fingers over Mrs. Lovett's cheekbones and down the side of her neck. Her fingers rested gently on the light purple bruises that had started to rise there.

"He was going to kill you." Lily said softly. "I don't know how you can stay under the same roof as him." Mrs. Lovett sighed and rolled over to put out the lamp at her bedside, avoiding looking Lily in the eyes.

"'E wasn't goin' to kill me. 'E just got upset is all. There's nothing for you to worry about." Mrs. Lovett settled down on her side, with her back to Lily. She couldn't bring herself to face the girl who had defended her so ferociously against Mr. Todd's threat. She heard a deep sigh and then Lily's voice,

"I just don't want you to get hurt love. Your body or your heart." Mrs. Lovett could think of a reply, so she remained silent, and thus Lily fell into silence also. There was a sudden shift behind her, and Mrs. Lovett felt a warm body press against her back, an arm reaching over and looping around her waist, pulling her close. "You're all I have Nellie." Mrs. Lovett smiled gently, setting a hand on the one grasping her waist.

"I'm 'ere for you, love, don't worry." The baker closed her eyes and as she began to drift off to sleep, she felt what may have been a kiss on her shoulder, but it was too soft for her to be sure it wasn't just a dream. And so she fell into a dreamless sleep, with Lily warm breath blowing rhythmically on the back of her neck.

AN: Generally, I like it! Btw, this story is meant to take place between 'Johanna' and 'By the Sea' in the movie, just to give some context in case it was unclear. Read and review loves!

raven


	5. Chapter 5

Unconventional

Mrs. Lovett woke the next morning to the sun shining in her eyes. She moaned and went to roll onto her stomach, but found herself immobile. She glanced down and saw that the cause was Lily, who she had turned to face in the night , her dark hair thrown across the white of the pillow and her arm firmly curled around Mrs. Lovett, holding her close. Her other arm was thrown up, and Mrs. Lovett was using it as a pillow. Their faces were so close that their lips were almost touching.

Mrs. Lovett reached a hand up-slowly, so as not to disturb her sleeping friend- and gently stroked the younger woman's cheek with her fingertips. The skin was soft and warm under Mrs. Lovett's slightly calloused touch. Lily's eyes slowly fluttered open after a few moments of the attention and quickly locked on Mrs. Lovett as Lily smiled sleepily.

" 'Morning, Nellie. Sleep well?" Lily's voice was rough with sleep, and she seemed quite willing to return to it, her eyes fighting to stay open. Mrs. Lovett hoped that this battle would keep Lily from noticing the flush building in her cheeks. Lily seemed oblivious, and in her half-sleep, her arm slackened it grip on Mrs. Lovett, leaving it free to roam to curvature of her side and hip, which it did with gentle, almost teasing caresses as Lily pressed her face into Mrs. Lovett's neck.

Mrs. Lovett was not quite sure what to make of the touches. They seemed a great deal like lover's touches, and they left her puzzled, but not uncomfortable. The caresses felt quite nice actually, and with that final thought, Mrs. Lovett let her eyes fall shut again as she felt the roaming fingers settle on her back, tracing small circles between her shoulders. It was Sunday after all, and Mrs. Lovett could think of worse ways to start a Sunday.

A few hours later, the sun was high and the sky and Nellie awoke alone in her bed. Not odd in itself, she didn't usually have company there with her, but odd in how her heart sank a bit when she realized Lily had left her by herself. She shook the feeling off and threw the blanket off her legs, sitting on the edge of the bed.

She dressed quickly, and walked into the kitchen. Surprised when she found Toby and Lily hustling around the kitchen, opening and closing cabinet rapidly, sliding the drawers open and shut so loudly that Mrs. Lovett was surprised she hadn't been woken up by the racket. She watched the commotion for a moment before grinning and shouting,

"Now what in the blazes are you doin' to my kitchen? It took me ages to get it the way I wanted it." Lily and Toby both whipped around to face the baker, with identical grins on their faces.

"We were going to make breakfast." Lily said.

"Yeah!" Toby piped in, "We was goin' to make a apple cake! Lily says she knows 'ow!" Mrs. Lovett raised an eyebrow.

"Except you don't have a single apple in your entire kitchen." Lily chided teasingly, her arms crossed over her chest. Mrs. Lovett fake scowled back at her.

"That might be because I 'ave an extra mouth nibblin' at them, ain't I? Besides, it's me market day t'day, so 'course I ain't got anything left."

"Well I guess we'll just have to go with you then. Make sure you get eveything we need for a good breakfast." Lily fake-scowled back at Mrs. Lovett, but the effect was ruined by the twitching at the corners of her mouth. Mrs. Lovett's scowl, however, was solid except for the twinkling in her eyes.

"I guess you'll have to then!" She raised her voice in a false angry shout.

"Sounds like a plan!" Lily matched the shout, but broke down into laughter right after. "You might want to fix your hair first, though," Lily said between giggles. Mrs. Lovett put a hand to her head, suddenly remembering that she had left the pins in the night before.

"Right. I'll do that then. You lot find out what we need for the kitchen and the shop." And with that she hurried back into the bedroom to correct the nest that had been created on her head overnight. When she finished, she found Lily and toby waited for her impatiently out in the shop. Toby had his little list of supplies to get, and Lily had another portion in her hand.

"Toby's going to get some of the things that are a bit further anyway. He needs the exercise, right Toby?" Lily explained, shooting Toby a look, who met it knowingly.

"'Course, mum." Lily ruffled his hair before turning back to Mrs. Lovett, who had decided not to question the odd behavior.

"He'll just need two or three pennies for everything." Lily said, moving to stand next to Mrs. Lovett, who pulled four pennies from her purse, hidden behind her hand of course, in case Toby would recognize it. She placed them in Toby's hand and with a wink said,

"Why don't you get yourself a treat on the way, love? Something to tide yeh over 'til lunch. Run along now."

"Thank yeh mum!" Toby grinned widely before running down the street. Mrs. Lovett looked to Lily, who handed her portion of the shopping list over.

"After you, my dear." Lily giggled as she pretended to bow to Mrs. Lovett. Mrs. Lovett curtsied deeply.

"Why thank you, kind sir." Mrs. Lovett said, straightening up quickly before her knees got stuck and headed towards the crowd that signaled the boundary of the marketplace.

Lily followed Mrs. Lovett through the marketplace, doing her best to keep close while the people rushed around her, heedless of anyone but themselves. At one point she was almost dragged away when her dress snagged on a passer-by's basket. Mrs. Lovett had grabbed her hand and freed her dress all in one go, and Lily was greatly reluctant to let go of her hand again. So she didn't, and the pair of women walked down the road hand in hand, occasionally parting when Mrs. Lovett took a fancy to something in a basket or stall.

Mrs. Lovett wasn't quite sure what to make of Lily's happiness at being able to hold her hand (friends did it all the time di'nt they?), but the younger woman's hand held hers so gently and carefully -even lovingly- that she couldn't bring herself to pull the appendage back to herself. She would let go here and there to wander off and look at the merchandise, but offered her hand to the slightly forlorn looking lily, whose face would light up as she grasped Mrs. Lovett's fingers.

The visit to the market had been going rather well until Lily encountered a familiar face. She had been inspecting apples, gripping them firmly to test their ripeness, when she heard her name called out:

"Well if it isn't little Miss Lily Fairbanks!" Lily whipped around quickly, her eyes darting to find the source of the voice. They finally landed on a stout old woman standing two feet behind her. The woman had dirty gray and brown hair shoved up under a cap, muddy brown eyes that squinted meanly, and a flabby face slightly reminiscent of a dead fish. Lily faced tightened and she stared steadily at the woman. Mrs. Lovett stepped up beside her, a small bag of apples gripped in her hand.

"Some 'elp you are I 'ad to pick all the apples out me'self." Mrs. Lovett followed Lily's gaze to the woman who was eyeing her up and down with a sour look on her face. "Well, who this then?"

Lily didn't move her gaze from the woman, and Mrs. Lovett found herself think it was like watching two dogs eye each other, staring until one of the backed down.

"This is Mrs. Darlick, she's the head of staff at my father's house." Lily voice was stiff and formal. Mrs. Lovett brushed Lily's dark hair off her shoulder before placing a warm hand on the skin. Lily shuddered lightly under the touch. Mrs. Darlick finally looked away from Lily and set her small eyes on Mrs. Lovett.

"I wouldn't touch 'er if I was you, dear." Mrs. Lovett glared over at the frumpy woman, but didn't remove her hand.

"What are you talkin' about?" Mrs. Lovett, asked, puzzled as to the old woman's nasty attitude. The woman put her nose in the air, looking down the bridge at Lily.

"She's a perverted little slut. Goes 'round kissing the female 'elp. I'd keep an eye on 'er if I was you." She gave a knowing nod. "Them's type need to be locked up they does, dirty little who-" Her speech was cut off by Mrs. Lovett dropping the bag of apples on the ground and using her now free hand to strike Mrs. Darlick across the cheek, leaving a burning red mark and quickly raising welt.

"I'll not 'ave anyone talking about Lily tha' way, you 'ear me?" Mrs. Darlick held a hand to her red cheek, staring open mouthed in shock. "Now, you apologize to my girl, this moment!" Mrs. Lovett held her head high and Lily gazed adoringly at her. Mrs. Lovett was her knight in glittering black armor.

But instead of apologizing, the woman started shrieking.

"You're just like her! She your little slut, is she? You're the devil's dirty lesbian whores!" Mrs. Lovett's eyes flashed angrily and she raised her arm again.

"You better shut your mouth you old bat!" Mrs. Lovett was an imposing figure when she wished and she drew herself up to her full height and glared as best she could at the miserable old hag, who shut her mouth quickly and waddled off muttering to herself about hell and damnation. Lily raised a hand and set it appreciatively over Mrs. Lovett's.

"Thank you, Nellie," Lily said softly. Mrs. Lovett blushed, although she wasn't sure why, and squeezed Lily's shoulder comfortingly.

"Never you mind, love. Now why don't we head home? We can have a nice picnic lunch in the park."

AN: Here you go! Chapter Five steaming hot! I am happy to say that "Worst Pies in London" is now the default tone on my cell phone! WOOT!

I dedicate this chapter to pinkeop, who has been having a rough time of it recently, and who could use a bit of a pick-me-up. This is for you! You can put it with your penguin! haha


	6. Chapter 6

Unconventional

Mrs. Lovett groaned gently as she dropped down in the center of her bed, arms thrown over her head. She had gone to Hyde Park with Mr. Todd, Toby, and Lily for the afternoon after they finished shopping, and it had proven more of an adventure than she expected. She had ended up pouring out the entirety of her dreams out to Mr. Todd while Toby remained indifferent and Lily sat, staring at nothing with her arms wrapped tightly around her knees. Speaking of...where was Lily? Mrs. Lovett tried to lift her head off the bed, but the strain was just too much. She settled for shouting.

"Lily!? Where are you, love?" She was rewarded by a thump and what was most likely a string of curses from upstairs. She had obviously startled Mr. Todd. But there was no response from her desired audience. She shouted again, "Lily?!" This time, Lily entered the room, looking rather sullen.

"Yes, Mrs. Lovett?" Mrs. Lovett forced herself up off the bed, propping herself up on her elbows.

"Now, what's with the formality, love?" Mrs. Lovett was a bit unsettled. She thought that the day had gone rather well. Well, except for that incident at the market of course, but that had gone over rather well, as Mrs. Lovett recalled. She had no issue with Lily 'sickness,' love was mysterious and strange, she knew that. She couldn't fault Lily for loving a woman when many men did the same thing constantly. Lily had seemed rather down at the park, but had said nothing. But now, the young woman was walking around as though she had just found her puppy crushed under the wheels of a carriage.

"Nothing." Lily avoided meeting Mrs. Lovett's eyes, instead turning her back to the woman and beginning to untie the laces on her dress. Mrs. Lovett let her eyes wander down Lily's form. The idea of women loving women had lodged itself in her mind and now it forced itself to the forefront of her thoughts.

Lily was a very beautiful woman, no one could deny that. Her skin was a smooth, warm olive tone, and her hair was glossy and well cared for. Her neck was long and thin, sloping gently into round shoulders and an elegantly sculpted collarbone. She had gently rounded curves, feminine and well proportioned. Lily let her dress the drop to the floor and stepped from it, only in her thin shift. Mrs. Lovett's mouth went suddenly dry and she shifted her hips slightly, suddenly rather uncomfortable. Since when had it mattered that Lily was undressing around her?

Lily seemed to notice her discomfort and turned to face her, a small smirk playing on her lips. Mrs. Lovett shifted again, her eyes dropping down to dart around the room. Her brief glimpse of the front of Lily's body had only resulted in further stomach twisting. The younger woman's nipples had been stiff in the chill of the room, and Mrs. Lovett's first thought had been of placing her mouth on one of the hard peaks. This had caused a surge at the apex of her legs, a sensation she hadn't experienced in ages.

"Am I making you uncomfortable, Nellie?" Lily's voice was velvety and seductive and her eyes never left Mrs. Lovett's face as she let her hair down, the dark waves cascading over her shoulders and down her back. She let her hands trail down her neck and chest, running her fingers gently over her own breasts. Mrs. Lovett's eyes locked on her. The baker was panting gently, her eyes dark. Lily smirked again.

"You shouldn't sleep in your dress Nellie. Do you need some help taking it off?" Lily's eyes glittered as she began to move towards the bed, her hips swaying gently. Mrs. Lovett let out a deep breath and a slight whimper. The elder woman felt pinned to the bed by those glittering eyes, unable to even sit up completely. She felt her arousal growing, her nipples hardening and wetness beginning to pool between her legs. Lily was just so..._sexy_. Mrs. Lovett's mouth parted, her tongue reaching out to moisten her lips.

Suddenly, Lily's hands were on her arms, pulling her up and onto her feet. Lily wrapped her arms around Nellie, undoing the laces at a pace that was almost torturous for the baker. She reached her arms out, setting her hands on the sides of Lily's neck, trailing them down the warm skin of her neck, following the line of her shoulder, the dip of her collarbone, before finally reaching Lily's breast, cupping them gently, feeling the nipples pressing into her palms. She was forced to remove her hands too quickly, to let her dress slip off her arms and onto the floor. She quickly replaced them on Lily's body, this time with one on Lily's hip and the other on her breast. She was fascinated by Lily's breasts.

Lily sighed gently, running her fingers through Mrs. Lovett's hair, pulling out pins and letting them drop to the floor. "Can I kiss you, Nellie?" Lily whispered, her lips nearly brushing Mrs. Lovett's own.

"Please." Mrs. Lovett breathed, her hand squeezing Lily's breast gently. Lily obliged and brought her lips to Mrs. Lovett's, gently massaging the soft lips with her own.

Mrs. Lovett had never really kissed anyone before. She and Albert had only shared the most chaste of kisses, and except for one or two disappointing instances, they had no shared no real physical intimacy. But this! Lily's kiss set her on fire from her breast to her groin. It was warm and wet and her whole body was tingling. Lily's tongue brushed against Mrs. Lovett's lips, who gasped in surprise. She was rewarded with the velvety warmth on her lips again, and then in her mouth. She moaned gently and reached out with her own tongue, feeling her knees go weak. The sensations were so overwhelming but so amazingly delicious. Lily was nibbling on her lip, pulling it gently into her mouth, sucking on it.

Mrs. Lovett found herself grinding her hips into Lily's, who started rocking her own in a strong rhythm, grinding her pubic bone into Nellie's core. The baker groaned deeply into the kiss and started pulling at the ties to Lily's shift. Soon, the ties gave way and the garment began to slip from Lily's slim shoulders, but caught on her arms as she reached up to begin releasing the knots on Mrs. Lovett's underclothes. The two shifts fell to the floor together and Mrs. Lovett pulled back to admire Lily's form, but was suddenly faced instead by Mr. Todd, fully clothed and snarling, a gleaming razor gripped in his fist.

"You dirty, traitorous whore," the illusion of Todd spat, raising his blade and bringing it down on Mrs. Lovett's naked throat, blooding exploded forth from her neck, spraying down on the unmoving form of Lily on the floor, half-hidden by the discarded clothing that was strew about.

Mrs. Lovett woke with a shriek, sitting straight up in bed, her skin covered in a sheen of sweat and her body still throbbing with arousal and heart pounding in fear. The room around her was dark, and she realized that she had fallen asleep almost as soon as she had laid down when they returned from the park. She glanced about her and saw Lily laying next to her, her eyes open and wide with concern, her hand placed gently on Mrs. Lovett's knee.

"It was only a dream, Nellie." Lily said soothingly, stroking Mrs. Lovett's calf with her fingertips. Mrs. Lovett trembled, not from the dream turned nightmare, but from the feel of Lily's caresses on her skin, chilling and heating her at the same time. "It was a just a dream, dearest. Lie back down, there's love," Lily cooed as she pulled Mrs. Lovett gently back down to the bed, pulling her close. "Nothing gonna harm you, not while I'm around."

Mrs. Lovett sighed softly as she settled into Lily's embrace. She hadn't been held like this in years. Lily's arm was wrapped protectively, almost possessively, around her waist, and one of her legs had hooked itself over the back of Mrs. Lovett's calves. Nellie felt amazingly safe, cocooned, in Lily's limbs, and she felt herself drifting quickly back to sleep, her arms working themselves around Lily's waist as a pair of lips pressed feather-soft against her forehead.

AN: So, I had some fun writing this. I hope you enjoyed it also. More to come very soon! R&R!


	7. Chapter 7

Unconventional

When Mrs. Lovett woke up early the next morning, she found herself completely tangled up with Lily. Their legs were tangled together, one of Lily's was placed between her own, precariously close to her most secret of places. A hand was holding her close with a grip on her bum, while the other was once again acting as Mrs. Lovett's pillow. Her own hands were also in some less than decent places, one lightly on Lily's breast, and the other holding the thigh of the leg between her own, pulling it higher. Mrs. Lovett swallowed, unsure of how to disentangle herself from Lily without waking her. As she had the morning before, Mrs. Lovett gently stroked Lily's cheek, letting her fingers run lightly over Lily's lips.

Lily sighed lightly, "Be careful, Mrs. Lovett. I'm a dirty pervert, remember?" she chuckled, "I might just have to have my way with you if you keep that up."

Mrs. Lovett couldn't close her lips fast enough to prevent herself from saying "I don' think I'd stop yeh, love." Lily's eyes widened, but closed sadly as she started to pull herself from Mrs. Lovett.

"Please don't tease me, Nellie." Mrs. Lovett released her grip on Lily, quickly pressing back the loneliness that swept over her. She climbed out the bed quickly, regretting the loss of the warmth when the chill of the air hit her. She dressed quickly, concentrating on NOT looking over her shoulder, where Lily was dressing on the other side of the bed. She ran out of the room quickly as she could, darting into the shop were Toby was already preparing the shop for the first rush of customers.

"Morning, love" she muttered as she hustled past him and down into the bakehouse. She focused all of her frustration on loading the first set of pies into the oven, and chopping up the remainder of Mr. Todd's later 'customers.' She set all of her attention into the cleaver, determined not to think about sex, or Lily, or sex with Lily...

She shook her head to clear out the images that had began to form and yanked a shoulder out of its shoulder with a wet crunch. Pulling the meat from the bones, she felt her mind start to slip away again, but wasn't able to halt it before Lily appeared in her mind, crawling towards her from the foot of the bed, lowering her head to kiss her way up Mrs. Lovett's pale thighs. The bare humerus was thrown roughly into the corner in hopes that the noise would distract Mrs. Lovett's thoughts. The other arm came next and with it, more images, more fantasies. Lily straddling her hips, totally naked. Nellie running her hands down Lily's sides, between her thighs.

Once she had begun to chop the ribs, she had given up on fighting the thoughts, instead hoping that she could start to ignore them. She couldn't. She finished chopping the two spare bodies, and began to fill the pies, her body protesting every brush of cloth on skin, every hot breeze across her neck. Mrs. Lovett even found herself pressing against the corner of the table, her core aching for release. Once she had removed the finished pies from the oven and put in the prepared ones, she hurried up and down the stairs, bring up three trays of hot pies for the trickle of customers that had already begun to gather. She set the pies on the counter, in front of a stoic Lily and confused Toby, who began serving them to the customers.

As she placed the last tray in front of Toby, she told him "I'm not feelin' so good, love, I'm just going to take a quick lie-down in the parlor, alright? Can you handle the shop for a tick?" Toby grinned and nodded, excited to be trusted with the responsibility of shop-watcher. Mrs. Lovett certainly didn't look too well, her hair more lopsided than usual, her breathing shallow and face flushed. With a quick nod, Mrs. Lovett hiked up her skirts and scurried to back as quickly as she could. She slammed to door a bit harder than she meant to and collapsed on the love seat, one hand pressed to her hot forehead, the other rubbing her thigh. She started to pull her skirts up to her waist, caressing her thighs with her finger tips, finally pulling up the hem of her shift, growling with frustration when it snagged on her garters. With all barriers out of the way, she roughly slipped two fingers into herself, thrusting deeply and pressing down forcefully on her clit with her thumb. She groaned deep in her throat, her hips beginning to rock with her ministration a she added a third finger.

Lily had noticed Mrs. Lovett's disappearance and had begun to worry when Toby told her that she wasn't feeling well. Once she had served her customers, she walked to the parlor door, raising her hand to knock. Suddenly, a throaty groan sounded from behind the door and Lily's moth dropped open. Was she...? Lily opened the door carefully, peering around the door, and felt her pulse start to throb at the apex of her legs at the sight that greeted her eyes.

Mrs. Lovett's head was thrown back over the arm of the love seat, her eyes shut in ecstasy as she rubbed her clit, sliding her slippery fingers in and out of her opening, her free hand teasing a rosy bud that had been freed from her bodice. Lily felt her chest start heaving and her fluids begin to slick her lower lips. Silently, Lily stepped into the room, closing and locking the door behind her. She stepped forward stealthily until she was bent over Mrs. Lovett's sweat-slicked body.

"Do you need some help, Nellie?" Mrs. Lovett's eyes opened almost lackadaisically, and locked quickly onto Lily's green orbs. Her voice was throaty and rough as she whispered,

"Lily..." before reaching out the hand that had been at her breast and placing it on the back of Lily's neck, bringing their lips together in a desperate kiss. Lily kissed back eagerly, placing her hands on Mrs. Lovett's face, stroking her throat, shoulders, and the tops of her breasts. She followed Mrs. Lovett's shoulder, down her arm, to the hand that was still buried in her most private parts. Lily pulled the damp hand away, placing it on her shoulder before replacing it with her own.

When Mrs. Lovett felt her hand pulled away, she almost whimpered, until she felt Lily's fingers teasing her entrance, gathering her juices on the long digits before sliding three fingers straight into her. The force of it make Mrs. Lovett arch her back with a shout of pleasure and pull quickly out of the kiss, her hand entwining in Lily black locks. Lily placed her mouth on Mrs. Lovett's neck, biting and sucking desperately on the white skin. Her free hand trailed to Mrs. Lovett's exposed breast, tweaking and rolling the nipple between her fingers as Mrs. Lovett began to writhe under her touch.

"Oh god Lily..." Mrs. Lovett breathed, "Don't stop, god, please don't stop!" Lily began to trail her kisses down Mrs. Lovett's skin, her hand reaching around to loosen Mrs. Lovett's dress. She yanked at the laces until they came loose and used both her hands to pull the garment entirely off. Mrs. Lovett cried out at the loss of Lily's hand until she felt her dress fall off, and a rush of anticipation filled her. Lily threw the dress to the floor, leaving Mrs. Lovett in only her stockings, garters, and shoes. She drank in the sight of fire light reflecting off the flushed skin, Mrs. Lovett's full breasts peaked by erect nipple, and her pussy gleaming with the evidence of the baker's arousal.

Lily began stroking Mrs. Lovett's newly exposed body, kissing and sucking on the skin closest to her mouth. Lily trailed her hands over Mrs. Lovett's arms, which were wrapped tightly around her, her flat stomach, her softly curved sides, the top of her thighs. On a hunch she reached her hands up on Mrs. Lovett's sides and scratched her roughly, dragging her nails down the woman's curves, over her hips and curling in between her hips. She was rewarded by a shouted "OH GOD! YES!" and a upward thrust of hips. Lily pulled her mouth up next to Mrs. Lovett's ear, licking the outside rim, nibbling on the earlobe and whispering

"Say my name, Nellie. Shout it for me.." Lily trailed down Mrs. Lovett's body, sampling every bit of skin with her mouth and hands, before reaching the elder woman's pelvis. She gently spread Mrs. Lovett's legs, kissing her way up the inside of her thighs, reaching out with the tip of her tongue and teasing the skin as she worked her way closer to Mrs. Lovett's core. When she arrived at her destination, she ran the tip of her tongue up the baker's slit, from her entrance to her clit, taking extra care to flick the swollen nub with her tongue.

"_OH_! Lily please...!" Mrs. Lovett wasn't even sure was she was begging for anymore, all she knew was that she needed it _now_. Lily complied, licking at Mrs. Lovett's clit while she slid three fingers quickly in and out of her, forcing her fingers as deep as they could go before retracting almost entirely before slamming back into Mrs. Lovett. "Yes, god, Lily..._ooooh_..." very quickly, Mrs. Lovett's inner walls began to seize around Lily's fingers and she could feel the pulse throbbing under her tongue. Mrs. Lovett shouted as she climaxed, her entirely body writhing and trembling with the force of her orgasm.

Lily slowed her ministrations, easing Mrs. Lovett down from her peak, slowly licking up the woman's cum from her pussy and thighs, and finally from her own fingers. She crawled back up Mrs. Lovett's still form, panting and basking in the heat of her climax. Lily lay next to her drinking in the beauty of the form laid out before her, snuggling in when Mrs. Lovett curled into her, tucking her head under Lily's chin. They lay like that for a moment, lost in a trance of after-haze until a sharp rap at the door brought them crashing down to earth. Mrs. Lovett sat rod-straight, shoving Lily away before beginning to swear and attempt to pull her dress back on.

Toby's voice pierced through the wood of the door hesitantly. "Mum...? Are you alright? There was shouting..." After a silence he said again, "We need more pies mum, the ones you gave us are all gone and the customers-" Toby was quickly cut off by Lily.

"I'll be right there Toby, hold on." She wiped her fingers on the hem of her dress and her mouth on her sleeve, hoping that it didn't shine to obviously. She turned to Mrs. Lovett, who was still struggling with her laces. "You had a nightmare, and I started shouting to try and wake you up." Without checking to see if Mrs. Lovett understood she hurried out the door, making sure not to open it too wide, before hurrying to the bakehouse, where she knew more pies should be ready in the large bake oven.

AN: Longest chapter yet! Wooho! R&R! What will become of Lily in the bakehouse?


	8. Chapter 8

Unconventional

When Lily rushed out the door, Mrs. Lovett felt her heart skip several beats, surely she wouldn't go...Mrs. Lovett tied the laces of her gown haphazardly, just tight enough that nothing would fall out, before running out the door. Her limbs, however, would not move as fast as she willed them to, and they protested the harsh treatment. By the time she reached the top of the stairs leading to the bakehouse, Lily had already made her way to the large bake oven and was wrenching the lever of the heavy door. Mrs. Lovett hurried as quickly as she could down the stairs, nearly falling down them in the process.

"Lily! Lily, love! No need for you to be down here!" She hurried over to Lily and started pulling her back towards the steps. Lily followed, puzzled, leaving the door of the bakehouse oven open. Mrs. Lovett pulled desperately at Lily's arm, praying that she wouldn't look around her too much. She had nearly reached the steps when she felt Lily's nails dig into her hand. She stopped tugging, and turned to look at Lily, whose face was frozen in terror. She had raised a trembling hand to point at a shadowy corner where a pile of discarded skeletons rested.

"Nellie...what...is...that?!" Her voice slowly raised in pitch until it reached a nearly piercing shriek. Mrs. Lovett couldn't suppress the sob that tore from her throat and she began tugging at Lily's hand anew.

"Nothing, love, nothing. Come on. Let's just go upstairs, love. I'll bring up the pies and you just help out Toby, alright?" Lily pulled her hand from Mrs. Lovett and inched towards the corner.

"Those are...Nellie..." She turned back towards Mrs. Lovett, who had begun wringing her hands, her eyes shifting back and forth as she backed towards the door. "What is this Nellie?" Words flooded out of Mrs. Lovett's mouth at an exponential rate.

"They's mr. Todd's customers. 'E kills 'im and they comes down 'ere and we 'ave a nice respectable business and no one's never goin' to know, they's people no one's gunna miss and we's careful-" she started moving towards Lily, her hands raised imploringly. "You can't tell no one, love. Mr. T'll kill ya if you try and I can't loose you and yeh just 'ave to trust me." Lily had begun to look rather ill, one hand on her stomach, her eyes staring straight into Mrs. Lovett's.

"You bake people into the pies...you cut them up and feed the to people?! You feed them to ME and to TOBY?!" Mrs. Lovett shook her head, her hands now stroking Lily's shoulders and arms in an attempt to soothe her.

"No love, 'course not. I always buy our meats from market, never the customers. Never, never." She pulled Lily close, wrapping her arms tightly around the young woman. "You can't tell. Mr. T'll kill ya and I'd just die. You can't leave me here by m'self, love, you can't." She pressed her face into Lily's neck, her arms still snug around Lily's waist. Lily's arms moved of their own volition to stroke Mrs. Lovett's back, soothing her quivering form.

"It's sick Mrs. Lovett. And wrong. Very, very, very wrong." Lily leaned her head against Mrs. Lovett's own. The baker simply tightened her arms. Lily sighed deeply. "No one will miss them?" Mrs. Lovett shook her head quickly, her face rubbing against Lily's skin. "No one else knows?" Another shake. Lily sighed deeply. "Wrong, Nellie, very wrong. But I won't tell the law. You have my word." Mrs. Lovett pulled back and grinned. Lily scowled slightly. "I'm only doing it for you. I don't like it at all, but," she cupped Mrs. Lovett's cheek lightly, "I could never loose you, even if it means...this." Mrs. Lovett continued to grin, grabbing Lily's face in her hands and pulling her close, kissing her quickly on the mouth.

"You're a dream, love." Lily grimaced before moving back towards the bake oven, taking special care to not look to either side, Mrs. Lovett following close behind, her hand resting lightly between Lily's shoulder blades. When they reached the top of the stairs, Lily turned to glance over her shoulder at Mrs. Lovett, a weak grin on her face.

"Eminently practical as always, eh, Mrs. Lovett?" She took Mrs. Lovett's hand in her own a kissed the palm lightly. "Let's go Mrs. Lovett, the customers will be wondering what in the world is going on today..." Her grin broadened a bit as Mrs. Lovett blushed, and she pulled the baker close wrapping an arm around the elder woman's waist, cupping her cheek in the other one. "Speaking of, you tasted absolutely delicious, Nellie." She kissed Mrs. Lovett lightly. The elder woman pressed into Lily slightly, sighing into the kiss, before pulling away from the black-haired woman.

"Come on, love. I still got a shop to run, and if you keep that up, nothing'll ever get done 'round here." Lily grinned widely but followed Mrs. Lovett into the kitchen to continue preparing pies for the customers. The had fallen behind, so they had to hurry, and by the time the lunch rush hit, Mrs. Lovett was swamped in the kitchen while Toby and Lily did their best to keep the customer from becoming an angry mob.

By the end of the night, everyone was exhausted, and Toby has begun to fall asleep at the table he was supposed to be cleaning. Lily quickly shook him awake and handed him a broom. "Once you finish sweeping, you can go to sleep, Toby. I'll take care of the rest." Toby nodded gratefully, shuffling out of the shop to the courtyard. Mrs. Lovett managed to drag her body into the parlor, where she collapsed on her chair, groaning as she took her weight of her knees.

"God me knees is gettin' old before the rest of me." Lily stepped into the parlor, covered in flour after wiping down the tables. She went to sit by Mrs. Lovett on her stool, but was stopped by a weak gesture from Mrs. Lovett. "Be a love, and take Mr. T 'is supper, will you, dear? I don't 'ave it in me to climb no more stairs."

"He's a grown man, Nellie. He can get his own supper." Lily's fists clenched at her dress as Mrs. Lovett smiled gently.

"I know, Lily. But 'e's 'ad such a 'ard life, I like to 'elp 'im out with this and that, y'know?" Lily frowned deeply. She was still always thinking of Mr. Todd. Mr. T, Mr. T, Mr. T. What about Lily, the young woman fumed. But she couldn't deny Nellie anything, so she nodded stiffly before returning to the kitchen. There she threw a cold pie, a tumbler, and the bottle of gin onto a tray, but not before taking a chug of the near empty bottle and spitting in the remaining liquid. She took the tray out of the shop and headed up the stairs, slamming each door and taking extra care to stomp loudly on the stairs. She'd be damned if Mr. Todd would have a peaceful night when she couldn't.

She kicked the door open, smirking to herself when she heard it slam against the wall, the bell jangling harshly. Todd, however, simply continued to brood in his chair, a razor shifting idly in his hands. Lily gave him her most hateful glare as she crossed the shop and dropped the tray on the small table near the window.

She stomped back towards the door of the shop, and as she reached for the knob she felt her anger melt down into something else, and she whipped back around to face Mr. Todd, who was now staring intensely back at her.

"Mr. Todd, you're hurting her." he didn't acknowledge this statement, and Lily shifted her weight from foot to foot uneasily. "You're playing with her heart, and you're going to break it for anyone else who might care for her."

Mr. Todd smirked before asking, "Like you?" Lily flushed, but nodded. "You know nothing. I do not have any intentions towards Mrs. Lovett, we have a business arrangement that is convenient for us, that is all." Lily resisted the urge to stomp her foot like a child throwing a tantrum.

"But you hold her heart!" Mr. Todd shook his head. "After everything I've done for her, it's always YOU in her thoughts! You hold her heart and do nothing but hurt it! Give it to someone who will cherish her! Give it to me!"

"It is not in my power, girl." His voice was uncharacteristically soft and gentle. He pulled a penny out of his vest pocket and held it out to Lily. "Here, go get something pretty for Mrs. Lovett. Gillyflowers for the tables maybe."

"Gerber daisies are her favorites," Lily said without thinking. Mr. Todd glared at her.

"Then get those! Just get out!" He threw the penny at her angrily and Lily ducked to avoid having it hit her in the eye. She picked it up off the ground and scurried out the door, shouting "thank you Mr. T!" over her shoulder as she left. She ran down the steps as fast as she could, tucking the penny into her bodice as she returned to the parlor.


	9. Chapter 9

Unconventional

AN: I have suddenly realized that I have gotten away with not putting a single disclaimer on any of my recent fanfictions...holy crap. I should probably fix that...eventually. Anyway, I don't own anything and I get no profit. Duh. Except Lily. That bitch is mine.

Also, I want to apologize for the delay in updating this story. My life collapsed all at once...and yeah...my computer has spent the last three weeks being cleaned by the geek squad because I spilled crap on it...yeah...

Unconventional

Getting into bed that night was, to say the least, awkward. Mrs. Lovett perched herself on the edge of the bed, pulling the pins from her hair and trying hard not to glance over her shoulder were she knew Lily was undressing. Her body still tingled thinking of the day's earlier...activities, though she didn't know quite what to make of it. Women just _didn't_ do those types of things. They had relations with men and that was that. But Lily made her feel more...more..well just _more_ than any man ever had. The young woman had accepted her for her, including her dark enterprise and business conduct. Nothing had shaken this girl in her loyalty to the baker, and it puzzled the elder woman.

Lily, on the other hand, was giddy. Mrs. Lovett was hers. The most beautiful woman in the world was hers for the taking. She undressed hastily, grinning softly to herself as she turned to climb into the bed. The smile slipped slightly as she saw Mrs. Lovett still seated on the bed, her back straight and stiff. She crawled across the bed to kneel behind Mrs. Lovett, setting a hand gently on the elder woman's smooth shoulder. She felt her heart drop into her stomach when the baker flinch under the touch, and she quickly withdrew her hand.

"I...I can't do this, Lily." Mrs. Lovett said without turning her eyes from where they stared at the floor. Lily moved to sit beside her, arms crossed firmly over her chest to avoid reaching out and touching the other woman.

"What, Nellie? What can't you do?" Lily asked as Mrs. Lovett's fingers twisted in her lap. Mrs. Lovett gestured weakly between their bodies.

"This. I can't do this." Lily raised an eyebrow when Mrs. Lovett mumbled her answer.

"What, you can't let me love you, or you can't let make love to you?" Lily fought back a small smile as Mrs. Lovett blushed and frowned.

"Either."

"Why not?" Lily scowled slightly.

"Mr. T...he..." Whatever Mrs. Lovett may have said next was cut off by Lily jumping off the bed and shouting loudly.

"Mr. T, Mr. T! Always going on about bloody old Mr. T!" She stomped her foot impatiently. "He will never love you the way I do. To him you are merely the means to an end. To me..." Lily took Mrs. Lovett's hands in her own. "...to me you are the world! The sun rises and falls on you! Love me!" Lily pleaded. "Love me! After he kills the judge he will have no purpose. He will seek no future! I'm the one who will love you, who will take you to the sea! Love me!" Lily brought Mrs. Lovett's hand to her mouth and kissed the palm lightly. Mrs. Lovett's eyes filled with tears, but she did not attempt to pull her hand back. Instead she brought her free hand to her eyes, hiding her tears.

"I can't, I can't" she said between sobs, "I just can't..." Lily pulled Mrs. Lovett to her, wrapping her arms around the elder woman's shivering form.

"Why?" Lily whispered. "Why can't you love me?" As she spoke, Lily hand found it's way into Mrs. Lovett's hair, entangling her fingers in the auburn tresses, while the other arm pulled their bodies tightly together. Mrs. Lovett didn't speak, but didn't move away either, she couldn't be sure that she wasn't dreaming. Lily's voice was throaty with desire, "I need you, Nellie. I love you." She pressed her face into Mrs. Lovett's neck, her breath hot on the smooth skin.

"But-but...I'm a woman..." Mrs. Lovett muttered, unable to make any type of real argument, her arms limp at her sides. The sensations that Lily caused in her body were confoundedly wonderful.

"Yes, you are," Lily whispered, her lips brushing Mrs. Lovett's neck. "A beautiful," a kiss landed on Mrs. Lovett's collarbone, "sensuous," another under her ear, "desirable woman." and with that, Lily brought her lips to Mrs. Lovett's. The baker melted under the touch, and made little effort to fight the young woman.

In that moment, Mrs. Lovett surrendered. Lily was right, Mr. Todd would never love her. Somewhere in her heart she had always known that, but held out. Know she had no reason to. Goddamn convention. She felt Lily pulling her to her feet, their bodies still connected at the lips, and she shivered as she felt Lily soft hand caressing her skin, roughly freeing Mrs. Lovett from her clothing. Once the baker was completely exposed, Lily pressed close to her, forcing her back onto the bed, pushing her down forcefully.

The elder woman purred softly, reaching up to wrap her arms around the black-haired beauty, tugging gently on the ties of the thin shift. Lily quickly wriggled free of the garment and resumed her attentions to Mrs. Lovett's neck, her hands gliding to the baker's wrists, pinning them above the elder woman's head. She quickly straddled Mrs. Lovett's hips, her sex hovering precariously close the Mrs. Lovett's own. Her grips still firm around Mrs. Lovett's wrists, Lily bent down and lick slowly around the outer rim of Mrs. Lovett's ear.

"What do you want, Nellie? What do you want me to do?" She nipped softly at Mrs. Lovett's earlobe, smirking when she heard the woman moan loudly.

"Touch me, Lily. Please..." Her response was breathy, slipped out between desperate pants and moans, her hips straining upwards to press against Lily's sex. The younger woman slid slowly down Mrs. Lovett's body, my hands gliding slowly over her skin, pausing to grasp her breasts and tweak the nipples firmly. Mrs. Lovett's back arched high and her breath hitched. She was already so intensely aroused that even the slightest touch felt like electricity across her skin, and Lily hands were everywhere, her breath hot against her skin, her lips like fire down her stomach. It took only a few deep thrusts of Lily's long fingers to send Mrs. Lovett over the edge, her body trembling as she cried out Lily's name, not worrying that Toby was in the next room, or the Mr. Todd never slept.

As Mrs. Lovett's body went limp, Lily laid down beside her, an arm draped loosely over the elder woman's hips. Nellie turned her head to gaze into Lily's eyes and reached up a hand to stroke the younger woman's cheek gently. After a moment, Mrs. Lovett turned and propped herself up on her elbow, her other hand still stroking Lily's face curiously. Her hand slid down the soft skin of the young woman's neck, across her shoulder and collarbone, continuing as Lily rolled to lay on her back, her arms flung above her head. Mrs. Lovett shifted so that she was sitting, looking down on Lily's exposed form.

_She's beautiful_, Mrs. Lovett thought as her hands continued to explore Lily's skin, her lips quirking into a soft smile as Lily's eyes close and the young woman moaned softly. Mrs. Lovett stroked her breasts gently, moving her fingers in slow circles. She had never contemplated anything like this before, but it just seemed so natural to touch this way, to love the way these things felt. Mrs. Lovett quickly leaned down and flicked her tongue over one of Lily's erect nipples and was reward by a sharp gasp and a moan from the young woman. The baker sucked gently on the erect peak, hearing Lily's soft whimper and feeling a hand tangle in her unruly hair.

"Oh, Nellie..." Lily's voice was low and throaty, and Mrs. Lovett felt a surge of need to hear it again, louder, and she sucked harder, her hand pinching and tweaking Lily's other nipple as her body shifted again to rest her hips between Lily's legs. The younger woman panted softly, her hips rocking forward slightly. Mrs. Lovett kissed slowly down Lily's stomach, admiring the smoothness of the skin and the tautness of the surface. Her hands stroked slowly over the young woman's legs, moving slowly up her thighs.

"Please, Nellie...please..." Lily's body was practically writhing, and Mrs. Lovett could smell the woman's arousal, the strangely alluring scent drawing her quickly down the young woman's sex. The baker licked hesitantly at Lily's clit, flicking her tongue over the swollen nub, and was rewarded by a loud gasp and a "God Nellie!" from deep in Lily's throat. She ran her tongue slowly up the young woman's slit, gathering the taste on her tongue and licking her lips. She slid two fingers slowly into Lily, flicking teasingly over her clit. She thrust her fingers deep, quickening her pace when she heard Lily's pants and cries of delight, her body shaking with desire as she scratched over Mrs. Lovett's shoulders, who moaned at the sensation. Soon, Mrs. Lovett began to feel Lily's body seizing, her breathing ragged and labored as her hips bucked wildly against Mrs. Lovett's hand.

Once Lily's body had stilled, Mrs. Lovett moved back up Lily's body, laying down softly, her eyes unsure as she gazed into Lily's eyes. The young woman cupped Mrs. Lovett's cheek gently as she kissed her lips reassuringly. Their bodies entangled with each other, and they drifted off together in a quiet, serene sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

Unconventional

AN: FIRST OFF! Let me apologize for how long it has taken me to update this fic. I've gotten crazy busy since school ended and, oddly enough, have LESS time for things like fanfiction. I'm going to try a lot harder to keep on top of it and update two or three times a month. This chapter is also really sort, but I'm suffering severe writer's block, so please forgive me.

Chapter Ten

When Mrs. Lovett woke up that morning, she felt more relaxed than she had in years. Her lover's body was tangled with her own, soft skin pressed against hers and arms wrapped around her tightly. She reached up to push a strand of dark hair out of Lily's face, letting her fingers caress the smooth skin of the young woman's cheek. The baker smiled at the small sigh that slipped from Lily's lips. Her reverie was broken by a sharp rap on the door and Toby's voice ringing from the other side of the door.

"Mum? You 'wake yet?" Lily's eyes fluttered open at the voice, and Mrs. Lovett winced slightly, wondering exactly how she should would explain this is Toby decided to open the door. She moaned quietly, rolling onto her back a calling out,

"I'm not feelin' too good, love. We ain't goin' to open t'day." She felt Lily's shoulder's shaking slightly and glanced down to see her smothering her giggles in her pillow, her body pressed close to Mrs. Lovett. "M' jus' goin' to sleep a bit longer, alright?"

She could Toby's concerned frown when he asnwered, "Alright, mum." he hesitated. "Should I tell Mr. Todd, then?" Mrs. Lovett bit her lip. She was sure that he had heard her cries of passion the night before, and she couldn't really bring herself to face him today.

"If you don' mind, dearie." An affirmative noise drifted through the door, followed by the quiet shuffle of footsteps. When the noise had faded sufficiently, she flopped back down on her back, sighing heavily. Lily laid her head on Mrs. Lovett's pale stomach, drawing small circles over her side with her fingertips.

"Are you alright, Nellie?" she asked softly, smiling softly when the baker's fingers found their way into her black tresses.

"'Course, love. M'just a bit worried 'bout Mr. T is all." Lily sighed and grumbled slightly.

"He's a grown man, Nellie. He can handle you not fawning over him anymore."

Mrs. Lovett smiled slightly at that. "I don't 'e noticed much, 'onestly." She laughed quietly. "Always too many thought o' revenge and all that."

"Revenge?" Lily face became more serious. "What's he need revenge for?" Mrs. Lovett bit her lip. She had never told this story to anyone before.

"Well, you see, 'e used to live here, up there actually," the baker's eyes strayed up to the ceiling, where she knew Mr. Todd was pacing or sitting in his chair, staring at the wall. "'E an' 'is wife, a pretty li'l thing called Lucy, and their daughter, Johanna. But a judge had fallen in love with Lucy and...well, he got rid of Mr. T an' sent 'im to Australia. An' now, 'e's back, an' 'e's wants revenge on the Judge. Because when 'e came back, Lucy was-" She hesitated, "gone. And the judge 'ad Johanna. Now 'e's 'elping me with me shop an' waitin' for the right moment to get 'is revenge." Mrs. Lovett glanced down at Lily, whose had hand stilled on the baker's skin.

"He hasn't had a good go of it, has he?" Mrs. Lovett shook her head.

"'E loved 'er with all 'is 'eart and now 'e's just waitin' for the right time to go after the judge 'imself. Sad thing is, 'e 'ardly even remembers what Lucy looks like anymore." She sighed, and glanced back up at the ceiling. That poor man. Her eyes were brought back down to Lily when a kiss was laid gently on her stomach.

"You're taking good care of him, Nellie. He'll be alright." Her green eyes sparkled as she laughed softly at Mrs. Lovett's face. "Don't you usually bring him breakfast about now?" She laughed louder when Mrs. Lovett's eyes widened.

"Oh bugger. That's right." Mrs. Lovett started to sit up, but was forced back down onto the sheets by a firm hand on her shoulder. Lily was now positioned over Mrs. Lovett, pressing her body against her lover's gently.

Lily's voice was low and sensual. "I want you to stay here...with me..." her lips brushed over Mrs. Lovett's neck as she spoke, causing shivers to run up the baker's spine. Mrs. Lovett felt herself melt and succumb to Lily's fiery touch, unaware of the exchange taking place right over her head between a certain barber and and a certain sailor. She was just as unawares when Mr. Todd descended the stairs with a death warrant for Toby to serve to Judge Turpin, her eyes closed in a warm sleep, curled around her lover.


End file.
